How to capture the essence of lively chats
Datum: 2026-01-13 09:13
Chatting is so liberating and enjoyable. You don’t have to worry about greetings or formatting the text to make it easy to read (like with emails); you can dive right in, say what you want, and have quick, concise conversations. It’s entirely commonplace to use emojis (which is also becoming the norm in most emails now) and a fun gif can quickly spread joy and camaraderie.
For you who prefer listening to reading, this post is also available as an episode of the ""Done!"" podcast:
More chat, less email
I see a trend towards chatting right now. I think the simplicity, casualness, and fast pace attract many. In a collaboration I am currently involved in, we call the general chat channel “The Kitchen” because that’s where we hang out, as if we were at a nice mingling party at someone’s house.
Watch out!
However, there is a risk that even critical discussions can take place in the seductive and friendly chat. Before you know it, two people have made a decision. When the others involved join the chat later in the afternoon, the previous conversation leading up to the hasty decision is buried in the chat history and the latecomers miss entirely what was agreed upon.
Capture with a catch
So, how do you balance having a free-flowing chat and avoid things getting messy and falling through the cracks?
All you need to do is make sure you capture three types of messages.
Do this
When you’re chatting and things are moving quickly, keep an eye out for if you or someone else writes something that:
- means you must do something you can’t do immediately. Add it to your to-do list right away. If you’re chatting on Teams and have your list on To-Do, you can create a task with just a few clicks and link it back to the original message. Or,
- means someone else has to do something you want (or need) to keep track of to ensure it gets done. Add it directly to your list of things you’re waiting for from others (if you know that person might need a reminder to deliver what they promised). This list can be your to-do list, where you create a task with a “Waiting” label, for example. Or,
- is essential information that you will need to find later on. It could be a decision that was made, something important someone mentioned, an answer to a crucial question, or anything else that needs to be documented. Save it where you save other reference information about the current project, client, case, or whatever you’re discussing.
Everything else can pass by — and enjoy and immerse yourself in.
Immerse yourself without risk
Because if you only capture these three types of messages, you won’t miss anything important in the scattered, fast-paced chat flow. Even if you’re supposed to have critical conversations elsewhere, it’s not a big deal if they happen in “the kitchen,” which, on paper, is the wrong place. You can spend more time discussing, chatting, and conversing with your colleagues in the free chat format rather than expending energy trying to control the structure and herd participants into the right pen.
Of course, it’s preferable to discuss the right thing in the right forum, but if it happens to come up in the wrong place due to the speed, it’s not a big deal.
What do you do?
How do you balance having free, lively chats and more formalized channels with the same people? How do you keep them separate? And how do you handle it when things risk getting messy? Please write and share your thoughts!
(Do you sometimes find it hard to stay on top of things when chat messages keep pouring in? Here’s how to take control of the flow of chat messages!)
You can get more!
If you want more tips on how to create good structure at work, there are many ways to get that from me - in podcasts, videos, books, talks and other formats.
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